In Final Fantasy X Tidus is introduced as a 17-year-old rising blitzball star player from Zanarkand. After a mysterious creature called "Sin" attacked his hometown, Tidus was seemingly transported to the world of Spira. Lost, confused, and feeling out of place, Tidus soon meets a newly fledged summoner, Yuna, and her guardians. The summoner is soon to set out on a pilgrimage in an attempt to put an end to the very creature that attacked Tidus' city, and by joining them, Tidus hopes he will find his way home. He has also made appearances in other video games, such as Final Fantasy X s sequel Final Fantasy X-2, the Kingdom Hearts series, and Dissidia: Final Fantasy.

The character was designed with the intention of having a cheerful appearance in contrast to previous Final Fantasy protagonists as well as to give him a deeper relationship with the player. Tidus has generally been well-received by video game reviewers. His personality and relationship with Yuna has been praised while there has been criticism focused on his voice work and outfit design. Several types of merchandise based on Tidus' character have been produced, such as action figure and jewelry.

In Final Fantasy X, Tidus is introduced in medias res via an in-game cut scene showcasing the main characters around a campfire back dropped by the wreckage of a city, Zanarkand. He narrates most of the game events, revealing his thoughts on certain aspects of his journey. Tidus recounts how events have led to the present, starting at his life in Zanarkand where he was a sports celebrity in blitzball, a fictional sport that combines elements of hockey, soccer, and water polo. Despite showing a cheerful and carefree attitude, Tidus bears an enormous hatred towards his absent father, Jecht, initially due to the fact his mother did not pay attention to him when he was around, and later for the pressure he had when playing blitzball due to the fact Jecht was also a celebrity. After Jecht was thought to be dead, Tidus' mother died, increasing his hatred towards his father. During a Blitzball tournament, Zanarkand is attacked by an immense creature shrouded in water known as Sin. The city is destroyed in its path, and Tidus is taken by Sin and Jecht's friend Auron to the world Spira.